Coffey has been a major figure in pushing for legislation forcing big tech to pay news publishers.
By Bron Maher
The News Media Alliance, the trade body representing US and Canadian news media businesses, has promoted its executive vice president and general counsel Danielle Coffey to chief executive and president.
Coffey takes over from David Chavern, who led the nonprofit association from 2015 until the end of 2022. He is now president and chief executive of the Consumer Brands Association.
The NMA is one of the leading bodies lobbying for big tech payments for news in the US and Canada. The organisation said that Coffey had “led the effort” on bringing such legislation into being, and Coffey has previously spoken with Press Gazette about the US Journalism Competition and Protection Act (JCPA), explaining why the bill had been written to exclude The New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal from eligibility for any windfall.
Before joining the NMA in 2015 Coffey worked at the Telecommunications Industry Association, serving as its vice president and general counsel for more than a decade.
Coffey said: “I see tremendous opportunity for our expanded membership that now includes news publishers, magazines, and digital publications. Our contributions to enriching society and democracy are limitless.”
NMA board chair Maribel Perez Wadsworth said: “Danielle’s passion for the news industry, and for local journalism in particular, coupled with her policy expertise have proven an enormous advantage for the News/Media Alliance’s advocacy efforts on behalf of our member organisations.”
[Read more: US publishers celebrate ‘major step’ towards law that would force Google and Facebook to pay for news]
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